1987 VFL finals series
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2021) |
| 1987 premiership season | |
|---|---|
| Date | 5–26 September 1987 |
| Teams | 5 |
| Premiers | Carlton (15th premiership) |
| Runners-up | Hawthorn (11th grand final) |
| Minor premiers | Carlton (16th minor premiership) |
| Attendance | |
| Matches played | 6 |
| Total attendance | 429,057 (71,510 per match) |
| Highest | 92,754 (Grand Final, Carlton vs. Hawthorn) |
The 1987 Victorian Football League finals series was the 91st annual edition of the VFL/AFL final series, the Australian rules football tournament staged to determine the winner of the 1987 VFL Premiership season. The series ran over four weekends in September 1987, culminating with the 1987 VFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 26 September 1987.
Qualification
Matches
The 1987 VFL finals series was contested using the McIntyre Final Five system, which had been in use since 1972.
Week one (Qualifying and Elimination finals)
Elimination final (North Melbourne v Melbourne)
Melbourne were making their first VFL finals appearance since 1964, while North Melbourne had last appeared in 1985. This was the second final between the two sides, having previously met in the First Semi-final in 1954 which was won by Melbourne.[1]
Teams
This shows the teams as listed in the The Football Record.[2] Melbourne centreman Brian Wilson was a late withdrawal and was replaced by Russell Richards, while for North Melbourne Jim Krakouer was replaced by Shaun Smith.
    North Melbourne
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 Melbourne
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Scorecard
| Elimination Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 6 September (2:30pm) | North Melbourne | def. by | Melbourne | MCG (crowd: 72628) | Report |
| 3.2 (20) 4.4 (28) 4.8 (32) 5.10 (40) |
Q1 Q2 Q3 Final |
3.6 (24) 9.11 (65) 16.16 (112) 22.26 (158) |
Umpires: Clayton, Robinson Television broadcast: ABC TV | ||
| 2: P Krakouer 1: Smith, Steele, Hepburn |
Goals | 5: Flower 3: Dean, Jackson, Williams, Campbell 2: Stynes 1: Richards, Bailey, Viney | |||
| P Krakouer, Steele, Law | Best | Wight, Spalding, Dean, Bailey, Newport, Stynes, Jackson, Flower | |||
| Ackerly (ankle), Jonas (hamstring) | Injuries | ||||
| Reports | Chiron (striking) | ||||
Qualifying Final (Hawthorn v Sydney)
The Qualifying Final saw second-placed Hawthorn host third-placed Sydney at VFL Park. The game was significant for Sydney coach Tom Hafey as he reached 500 games as coach. In what was a crushing victory for Hawthorn, Warwick Capper booted four goals to become the second player after Tony Lockett to reach 100 goals for the season, but suffered a hamstring injury which ruled him out of the semi-final. Wingman Merv Neagle also suffered a knee injury.
- Scorecard
| Qualifying Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 7 September (7:25pm) | Hawthorn | def. | Sydney | VFL Park (crowd: 47,752) | Report |
| 5.7 (37) 9.10 (64) 16.13 (109) 23.18 (156) |
Q1 Q2 Q3 Final |
2.4 (16) 5.7 (37) 7.9 (51) 8.9 (57) |
Umpires: Sawers, Dore Television broadcast: ABC TV | ||
| 6: Brereton 5: Dunstall, Buckenara 2: DiPierdomenico, Russo 1: Schwab, Kennedy, Tuck |
Goals | 4: Capper 1: Bayes, Healy, Wright, Mitchell | |||
| Buckenara, Morris, DiPierdomenico, Tuck, Kennedy, Brereton, Collins | Best | Capper, Mitchell, Williams | |||
| Robinson (hamstring) | Injuries | Capper (hamstring), Neagle (knee) | |||
| Nil | Reports | Nil | |||
Week two (semi-finals)
First Semi-final (Sydney vs Melbourne)
The First Semi-final saw Melbourne host Sydney at the MCG. This was the sixth meeting between the two clubs in finals, meeting previously in two Grand Finals in 1992 and 1994, a semi-final in 1992, and two preliminary finals in 1991 and 2011. West Coast have won four of the five meetings between the clubs, losing the 2011 preliminary final.
- Scorecard
| First semi-final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 13 September (7:50pm) | Geelong | def. | West Coast | MCG (crowd: 51,813) | Report |
| 5.2 (32) 7.3 (45) 9.9 (63) 13.10 (88) |
Q1 Q2 Q3 Final |
1.1 (7) 5.5 (35) 10.7 (67) 10.8 (68) |
Umpires: Stephens, Nicholls, Meredith Television broadcast: Seven Network, Fox Footy (simulcast) | ||
| 4: Hawkins 3: Ratugolea 2: Kelly 1: Atkins, Selwood, Bews, Dahlhaus |
Goals | 3: Darling 2: Gaff 1: Petruccelle, Ryan, Hickey, Masten, Kennedy | |||
| Selwood, Guthrie, Ratugolea, Hawkins, Tuohy, Menegola | Best | Gaff, Hurn, Darling, Naitanui, Yeo, Jetta | |||
| Nil | Injuries | Nil | |||
| Tom Hawkins | Reports | Nil | |||
Second Semi-final (Carlton vs Hawthorn)
The Second Semi-final saw Carlton play Hawthorn at VFL Park. The two clubs have never met in a final before as the two clubs have never been in a finals series together.
- Scorecard
| Second semi-final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 12 September (2:30pm) | Carlton | def. | Hawthorn | VFL Park (crowd: 64,333) | Report |
| 1.2 (8) 2.11 (23) 6.12 (48) 11.14 (80) |
Q1 Q2 Q3 Final |
3.2 (20) 6.2 (38) 9.3 (57) 10.5 (65) |
Umpires: Clayton, Sawers Television broadcast: ABC TV | ||
| 3: Kernahan 2: Cameron 1: Hunter, Madden, Johnston, Naley, Sartori |
Goals | 2: Dunstall, Platten 1: Curran, Loveridge, DiPierdomenico, Brereton, Daniels | |||
| Naley, Johnston, Hunter, Bradley, Alvin, Madden, Aitken, Silvagni | Best | Platten, Tuck, Williams, Ayres | |||
| Injuries | Dunstall (ankle) | ||||
| Nil | Reports | Nil | |||
Week three (Preliminary Final)
Preliminary final (Hawthorn vs Melbourne)
The Preliminary Final saw Hawthorn play Melbourne at VFL Park on Saturday 19 September for the right to contest the Grand Final against Carlton. This game, which was to be the last for Melbourne captain and champion Robert Flower, would become famous for its thrilling and - for Melbourne supporters - tragic ending. After a tight first quarter, Melbourne took control of the game to lead by 22 points at three-quarter time. But the finals-hardened Hawks were determined to make their fifth consecutive Grand Final appearance, and when time-on began in the final quarter Melbourne's lead had been cut to seven points. In the frenetic final minutes, the Demons led by four points and had botched two further opportunities to kick goals which would have made victory almost certain - Simon Eishold hooked a set shot from point blank range and Tony Campbell missed a running shot from 40 metres out. In between those misses, Hawthorn forward Gary Buckenara had kicked his fourth goal of the afternoon.
Scorecard
| Preliminary Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 19 September (2:30pm) | Hawthorn | def. | Melbourne | VFL Park (crowd: 71298) | Report |
| 1.4 (10) 3.6 (24) 7.8 (50) 11.14 (80) |
Q1 Q2 Q3 Final |
2.3 (15) 6.10 (46) 10.12 (72) 10.18 (78) |
Umpires: Robinson, Howlett Television broadcast: ABC TV | ||
| 5: Buckenara 1: Jencke, Morris, Curran, Brereton, Pritchard, Kennedy |
Goals | 3: Jackson 2: Wilson, Grinter 1: Viney, Stynes, Dean | |||
| Schwab, Buckenara, Tuck, Russo, Langford, Ayres | Best | Jackson, Wight, Viney, Hughes, Spalding, Healy, Chiron | |||
| Nil | Injuries | Flower (shoulder) | |||
| Nil | Reports | Nil | |||
Week four (Grand Final)
This was the second consecutive Grand Final involving Carlton, who were chasing their 15th League premiership, and Hawthorn, who were chasing their 7th premiership and aiming for their first set of back-to-back flags.
| Grand Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 September (2:50 pm) | Carlton | def. | Hawthorn | MCG (crowd: 92,754) | Report |
| 3.5 (23) 6.8 (44) 10.11 (71) 15.14 (104) |
Q1 Q2 Q3 Final |
4.2 (26) 4.9 (33) 7.13 (55) 9.17 (71) |
Umpires: Robinson, Sawers Norm Smith Medal: David Rhys-Jones Television broadcast: ABC National anthem: Daryl Somers | ||
| 3: Kernahan, Bradley 2: Johnston 1: Dorotich, Gleeson, Murphy, Hunter, Naley, McKenzie, Meldrum |
Goals | 3: Kennedy 1: Curran, Collins, Pritchard, Platten, DiPierdomenico, G Dear | |||
| Rhys-Jones, Johnston, Glascott, Aitken, Madden, Alvin | Best | Langford, DiPierdomenico, Tuck, Collins, Ayres, Greene | |||
| Nil | Injuries | Nil | |||
| Johnston (striking), Madden (striking) | Reports | Nil | |||
References
- ^ Iles, Geoff (5 September 1987). "The Game in Figures". The Football Record. p. 39.
- ^ "TEAMS AS SELECTED ON THURSDAY NIGHT". The Football Record. 5 September 1987. p. 32.
